Self-contained removable power unit for clock movements



June 19, 1923. 7 1,459,343

W. E. PORTE R SELF CONTAINED, REMOVABLE POWER UNIT FQR CLOCK MOVEMENTS Filed Aug. 22. 1921 Patented June 19, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFrTcE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF'NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NDR TO THE NEVV HAVEN I CLOCK COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

SELF-CONTAINED REMOVABLE POWER UNIT FOR CLOCK MOVEMENTS.

Application filed August 22, 1921.

T0 .aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILsoN E. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Contained Removable Power Units for Clock Movements; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Fig. 1 a view in rear elevation of a clock movement provided with a self-contained power-unit constructed in accordance wlth my invention, the train itself being omitted for clarity.

Fig. 2 an edge View thereof.

Fig. 8 a view thereof in front elevation.

Fig. 4 a View of the movement with the said self-contained power-unit removed.

Fig. 5 a detached View in rear elevation of the unit.

Fig. 6 an edge view thereof.

My invention relates to an lmprovement in clock movements,'the object being to provide simple and convenient means whereby any given power-unit thereof may be installed or removed as a self-contained or unitary structure, without demounting or spreading either of the movement-plates or removing any of the pillars employed for holding the same together, or otherwise disturbing the movement-structure, or employing a pillar of the movement for the anchorage of the outer end of the spring of the power-unit.

l/Vith these ends in view, my invention consists in a self-contained power-unit for clock-movements, characterized by pro viding a bearing for one end of the springarbor of the unit and an anchorage independent of any pillar of the clock-movement for the'outer end of the spring of the unit. My invention further consists in certain detallsof construction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a mounting-bridge 2 consisting of a long, narrow plate provided at its respective ends with holes 3 and 4: adapted to be slipped over the projecting rear ends 5 and 6 of the pillars 7 and 8, which are two Serial No. 494,060.

of the pillars employed to secure the front and rear 1novenient-pla tes 9 and 10 together. The projecting rear ends 5 and 6 of the said pillars 7 and 8 are made additionally long). for the applicationto them of the bridge 2 and are threaded, as usual, for the applica tion of nuts 11 and 12. The said movementplates 9 and 10 are also secured together by two other pillars, 13 and 14, receiving nuts 15 and 16. 1 do not, however, limit myself to removably fastening the mounting-bridge 2 to the cloclcmovement in any particular manner, the only requirement being that it shall be fastened in place so that it may be removed from and applied to the clock-- movement without demounting either of the plates thereof, or spreading them apart or removing any of the pillars employed to hold the same together.

The said bridge 2 is formed with a bearing-opening 17 for the reception of the outer end of asprin arbor 18 carrying a spiralspring 19, a wheel 20, a ratchet-wheel 21. which is swaged on the arbor, and a springactuated pawl 22, pivoted to the wheel 20. the said bridge, arbor, spring, wheel, ratchet and pawl being organized together, handled as a unit and constituting, with the stud 22-5. now to be described, a self-contained powerunit of the clock-movement, whether for the time-train, strike-train or alarm-train.

The bridge 2 also mounts a spring-anchoring stud 23 passed through a loop 24 at the outer end of the spring 19 for anchoring the same. Heretofore, one of the structural or binding pillars of the clock-movement has generally been used as an anchorage for the outer end of the spring, with the result that it has been necessary to partly demount the movement to remove the spring.

Inasmuch as the draft of the spring when fully wound is relatively heavy, I prefer ably form a supporting-notch 25 in the front movement-plate 9, as shown in Figure 3, for the reception of the outer end of the stud 23, so that the strain imposed thereupon by the spring, when fully wound, is largely removed from the bridge. The rear movement-plate 10 is formed with-a. corresponding clearancenotch 26 for the reception of the rear end of the stud 23 close to the point where the same is riveted into the bridge To permit my self-contained power-unit to be readily removed and replaced, the rear movement-plate 10 is formed with a large,

I-jtlll'lhClYCllllIl assembly-opening 2'7 out in one oi? its L s. he torwariil end 28 ot the winding-arbor 18 is set into a bearing-hole 29 near the edge of the front movementplate 9.

ln practicing; my invention, such a selicontained power-unit aboi'e described is introduced into the movement through the cut or opening; 27 in the rutr movementplate 10, the forward end 28 ot' the arbor 18 being; this time set into the bearing-hole 2% iii the tront inovement-plate 9. At the same time, the forward end of the stud 23 enters the supportingynotch 25 in the trout movement-plate 9. and the holes 3 and lat he ends of the bridge 2 pass over the projecting rear ends of the inoveine .z-pillai 'i' and 8, after which the nuts 11 and 1 are applied to the threaoed pillar-ends 5 and 6 for securing the unit in place. In this manthe unit is installed in the clock-movement, after the same has bee entirely as sen'ibled. To r n'ioi'e the unit without in any way disturbing the Cloelc-movement. it is only i'ieressar to reinoy'e the nuts ll and l2, thus 'freeii' the unit to be pulled away ironi the movement through the cut 27.

In applying my invention to 1li1i'erent terms of clock-movements, the shape, location and size of the inountingpbrid ges ot the selt-eontained power-units will vary as well as the partieular ineans employed tor tastening them in place, my invention broadly comprehending the use of a seltrontained power-unit providing a bearing tor one end oi the spring-arbor and an anchorage tor the outer end of the spring, without eniployinga pillar 0; the movement proper for such anchorage whereby the demounting ot the movement-plates, or spreading the same, or removing one or more of the bindingpillars thereof is avoided. Ulock repairers, in particular, will find my improved selfcontained power-unit ot great assistance to them as it avoids the necessity of deniounting one of the movement-plates, in order to renew the main-spring, or the strike-spring, or the alarm-spring, as the case may be, or repair othe features of the movement.

. claim:

The combination with the movementplates and connecting pillars ot a clock- H1O eniei'it, one of the plates having a supporting-notch, of a removable, selt-corr tained power-hint, providing a bearing for the spring-arbor ot the unit, and having a iixed stud for the anchorage tor the outer end of the spring oi? the unit, the said slot in one ot the movement-plates being positionm to receive the outer end oi? the stud when the power-unit is located between the move innit-plates, whereby the said removable. self-contained power-unit may be installml in and removed from the clock-moveinent without spreading the inoven'ientilates or 1'811'l0\l11{ any of the pillars thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence oi two subscribing witnesses.

\VILSON F. PORTER lVitnesses MALQoLM P. Ni'onoLs, Gnonon DUDLEY SEYMOUR, 

